I just read the article about the chicken coops and City Councilor Mendonca's statement that he's been aware there are not only chickens being kept in the city but horses, goats, ducks and other farm animals; he also states that it is illegal.
The article mentions an ordinance passed in the 1990s that prohibits farm animals in the city. So I'm trying to figure out why residents in Lowell have been allowed to break the law? Elected officials had knowledge of the crime and chose to ignore it for reasons unbeknownst to me.
I wonder if farm animals are permitted in back yards, how the residents in some of Lowell's more prominent neighborhoods are going to deal with that. I suppose those neighborhoods would be exempt from any new ordinance.
Then there are the neighborhoods where the streets are smaller than the sidewalks downtown and the houses are so close together that you can hear what's being said at the dinner table next door with the windows down.
Will people who live in tenement buildings be allowed the privilege of having fresh eggs at their disposal, and how many chickens can they have? Will those individuals who fall under the Lowell Housing Authority be deprived of fresh, uncontaminated eggs? Oh wait, my bad. I forgot about the horses, goats, ducks and whatever other livestock someone cares to own.
So in the end if someone wants to raise livestock, it will be their right, and no rights for me if I don't want livestock next door. Nice.